Saving her Hart
by PrettyinPinkNikki21
Summary: When Jennifer exposes a Federal Secret, Can Jonathan protect her before it's too late?
1. Chapter 1

LOS ANGELES

Jennifer Hart was excited and a bit exhausted, she'd been working for days on a story that could potentially expose fraud within the Government for days, she'd barely slept and eaten to get her interview researched and written. And meeting with a secret informant to get documents, documents that proved There were giant kickbacks and pay-offs. Things that had the potential to bring an entire government to its knees.

All she wanted to do was go home, get out of her business suit and ditch her heels, slip into a tub with a giant bottle of champagne and her husband. Poor Jonathan, she'd been so busy putting together her story, that he was beginning to feel neglected and add that to the fact, it had been days since they made love, she was beginning to feel her own ache. Jennifer would make it up to him repeatedly.

Jonathan was often busy at Hart Industries but he always managed to put her first and he understand that this article, series of articles was important, that this was her job and her life but he'd also beginning to feel like a second wheel although he wouldn't say so to make her feel bad.

Jennifer had decided when this story was published, she and Jonathan would take an extended vacation, jus the two of them alone at the beach for a few days.

She was driving down the street, singing along to the radio when her phone rang, turning on the blue tooth, she called out, "Hello?"

"Hey Daisy Mae, it's Abner," Jonathan said, she could hear the smile on his face, "How are you,"

She smiled back at the road, "Tired …I'm finally headed home "

"Great, I've got one meeting left and then I'll be home, why don't you order a Pizza from Guido's and We'll have a bedroom picnic, Is Max home from Vegas yet,"

He heard her start to answer then the screeching of tires, followed by a loud bang and then silence.

"JENNIFER!" He yelled into the phone, "JENNIFER,"

There was no answer but he thought he could hear her whisper his name, "I'll be right there," He hung up the phone and rang out of the office.

At the corner of Sunset Blvd, a man with a dented Lincoln watched as a people rushed to help the woman in a now crushed violet convertible, calling on his phone, he made a simple statement, "It's done,"

Jonathan, using the latest HART cloud tracker on Jennifer's car could race to the scene. When he got there, the entire intersection was mobbed between Police, EMTs and Firefighters working to extract his whole life out of a demolished car.

Jonathan's heart stopped beating for a moment and he tried push down the vomit that had crawled up into his throat, "Oh Jennifer," He mumbled, pushing past a police officer, he ran over to the car, "Sir, you have to step back !," the car was flipped over on its side and he could see her hand out the window but the door was crushed in and the front end was bent like an accordion and there was smoke coming from the engine.

"She is my wife, I'm not leaving her!" He said turning his eyes to the Police Officer, who was trying to move him out of the way.

Grabbing Jonathan's arm, the Officer tried to pull him away but when Jonathan took a swing at him, the Officer knew that this man was not someone who could be easily intimidated.

An EMT named Brewster approached both Jonathan and the Police Officer, "We can't get into the car to check on her condition because the roof is too caved in,"

"Can't you or one of the Firefighters cut the roof off," The Police Officer, still holding onto Jonathan's arm

"No because we can't determine where her head starts and the roof is, that's the problem with these type of cars, when an accident occurs, the entire car is gone," The three of them studied the car, Jonathan wanted to rip the roof off with his bare hands. "We need to get someone into the car and determine not only Mrs. Hart's injuries"

"They've disabled the engine so it's not going to blow," The Police Officer finally let go of Jonathan's arm. "Are you positive that one of the EMT workers can get into the car,"

"No, because we're afraid with the car on its side, that with her seatbelt she can be injured even further, what we need is someone to get into the car with her and hold her still while we push the car back on its side," the EMT said

"I'll do it," Jonathan said firmly

"We can't let you! It's too dangerous," The Police Officer said

"Look, Either I do it or watch me open the door with my bare hands, it's your decision," Jonathan was adamant.

Both the EMT worker and the Police exchanged glances before nodding, "Okay let's get you in the car," Jonathan took off his jacket and noticing the back-window open, slid in carefully caution of the broken glass on the seat and leaned over to look at his wife.

Her head was on the steering wheel, her hands still gripping the wheel and he could see from the side of the driver's seat, her head was cut and one of her legs was bent, "Darling, it's me,"

She could only moan.

"It's okay, we're going to get you out of here," He was speaking quietly as he was passed blankets to wrap her up in, despite the heat he could see her shivering.

"She needs fluids, so you need to put an in a IV in her arm, can you do that?" The EMT worker handed Jonathan an IV and bag of fluids.

"Four years in the Navy, I think I can handle it," He took her arm and finding the biggest vein, he struggled to put the needle in, afraid of hurting her.

"Good, now start pumping the bag every two minutes," Jonathan did as instruct but she still wasn't responding, "Cover her head with the blanket then using your arms as a brace, but not enough to crack her ribs," Jonathan did what he was told and nearly fell over the seat as the car was up-righted and the firefighters began to cut the roof off the car.

"Darling, it won't be long now," he whispered in her ear, "We're just going to get you checked out for a bit then go home, I'll serve you dinner in bed and then it's to the beach for the weekend with lots of champagne, those chocolate covered strawberries you love and your favorite guy".

It seemed to take forever to get the roof cut off but they finally managed do but getting her legs from underneath the dashboard was difficult, her leg was broken and pinned, there was a general fear that if they did it too quickly, she might do more damage to her leg but if they didn't move fast enough, there was a chance that more damage could be done.

It was decided that Jonathan, pulling Jennifer's seat all the way back as far as he could, would allow some leeway for the Fire-fighters to pry the steering wheel up and then they could maneuver her out.

Jonathan kept whispering that she was okay, and she was still beautiful. She was his whole world and if she was gone, then his entire existence would cease as well. And when they finally lifted her from the car, he could see that her face was already black and blue, the EMT workers immediately put her onto a gurney to stabilize her.

The motion seemed to jostle her awake and she started to call for him, "Jonathan!, Help Me!"

He took her hand, "I'm right here, Darling,"

They quickly set her leg and put her into an ambulance, without a word, Jonathan climbed in beside her and before the doors were closed, spoke to the Police Officer, "I want every security camera footage sent to Hart Industries,"

The doors shut and before the EMT could race around the Ambulance, the Police Officer stopped him, "Who is that guy?!"

"Her Husband" He answered before getting to the front.

CEDARS HOSPITAL

Being the Wife of Jonathan Hart, CEO has its advantages but then again, being in a head on collision, Jennifer was immediately treated in the ER, her head stitched up and her leg plastered but the doctors were most concerned about her head injury.

Jonathan had only let go of Jennifer's hand wen she was in the X-ray machine and she'd barely said a word when they stitched up her head, but she kept rubbing her eyes with her good hand Jonathan wondered if something was wrong and she was too stunned to say anything or maybe when the EMT workers broke the wind shied, had gotten glass in her eyes

The doctor was concerned and asked to speak to Jonathan outside.

"Mr. Hart, we're concerned that your wife's head injury is serious, we need to do further testing," The doctor folded his hands, his blonde hair in his eyes.

"What sort of testing?" Jonathan was exhausted and all he wanted to do was take his wife home, they would both feel better in their own environment, they always thrived better at Willow Pond, when he'd lost his memory before, the one constant in his life was Jennifer. She even made love to him, despite him not even knowing his own name.

"We'll send her for an MRI, EKG as well as a Cat-Scan," The Doctor shifted his weight, his name tag reading, E. Nolan.

"Is it possible for me to take her home and bring her back tomorrow," Jonathan wasn't above pleading.

"I'm sorry, no, We'd like to keep her here overnight for observation," Dr. Nolan shifted his weight, "Just for tonight and if everything clears, you can take her home in the morning,"

"Can I at least stay with her tonight," Jonathan said narrowing his eyes

"I'm sorry, Hospital Policy," Dr. Nolan walked back into Jennifer's room, "Well, Mrs. Hart, I think for the moment, you should get some rest and then we'll take you down for your test,"

At that moment, Jennifer panicked and started yelling for Jonathan, "Please, No Let me go home!"

"Jennifer, Darling what's wrong?" Jonathan raced in, seeing the agitation on her face and the tears pouring out of her brown eyes , he grabbed her into a hug

"If I stay here, They'll kill me!" She cried out burying her face into his chest


	2. Chapter 2

CEDARS

Jennifer was adamant, someone was after her and that if she stayed over, she'd wind up dead. Any reasoning by the Doctors and Jonathan that staying over was best for her was met with outrage and threats of leaving against medical advice but when Jonathan pushed her for a reason, she refused to answer him.

"Darling," She pleaded with him, "Take me home, we can play doctor there,"

"Darling, you know I wish I could but you know that this is the best place for you, you have a head injury," He said, to calm her down, he'd climbed into her hospital bed and wrapped his arms around her.

"But I feel fine! I do have a little bit of a headache," She didn't want to admit, it felt like her head was on fire and her eyes were beginning to turn black and blue, "But other than my leg, I think I'll be okay,"

He shook his head, he had to give her credit, she was determined but he was just as stubborn, she was staying put, He climbed off the bed and took her face, "Visiting hours are nearly over, I promise I'll be back in the morning,"

She was still afraid but knew he'd never leave her unless he had to and Jennifer knew that Jonathan had set up plain clothed security guards around her room to protect him, He pulled her face toward him and kissed her, she had to admit, she melted and if she wasn't exhausted, frightened and in pain, she'd have thrown caution to the wind and made love to him right there.

It wouldn't have been the first time, while one of them was injured, they'd had made love, When Jonathan was temporary blind from the mad-man who put chemicals into their pool or when she twisted her ankle after falling down the stairs when their house was being broken into and the thunder had frightened her enough for her to lose her balance and land at the bottom of the stairs.

They'd still made love, it was as natural to them as breathing and when he kissed her in that hospital bed, she wanted nothing more than to lock the door, slip off this hideous gown and make love to her husband.

She had to admit, when he pulled his face off hers and let go of her, she was disappointed.

"That's just going to have to hold you until morning," Jonathan said revealing that famous dimple.

Just then the nurse came in, "Mrs. Hart, it's time for your sedative," Holding out a paper cup.

"I don't want to take a sedative, please," Jennifer knew that if she did, her in habitations would be lowered and she was still frightened someone could come after her.

The Nurse, who looked young enough to be Jennifer's sister was adamant, "I'm sorry but these are what the doctor prescribed and we don't want to be uncooperative, do we?" the Nurse shoved the paper cup under Jennifer's nose and she reluctantly swallowed the pills.

"Now, see isn't that better," The Nurse said, pulling up the blanket up to Jennifer's chin.

Jonathan tried not to laugh as Jennifer scowled at her and kissed Jennifer on her head, "I'll be back in the morning with Starbucks,"

She nodded, feeling the effects of the sedative, and her eyes started to close before Jonathan left the door.

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES

"What do you mean, SHE'S ALIVE!" A Man with wavy brown hair and a three-piece suit bellowed to his three men, "You said she was DEAD!"

"Boss, when we hit her car, she looked like she was dead," A short man named Jack Henry said from across the room, He'd been the one to hit Jennifer's car but was surprised when the newspapers hit and said, that Mrs. J. Hart had survived with severe injuries.

"Apparently you didn't look hard ENOUGH!" Hiram Lodge threw a paper at him, "Look we have less than 72 days to get rid of this, Problem before we're all sent down the river, now Do I have taken care of this problem myself or do you think you morons can take care of one 98lb woman?"

Jack nodded, "We'll take care of her," with that, Jack and the rest of the men left.

Going outside in the Hot LA Sun, they gathered together.

"How are we going to get her now?" One man, they called Chewy because he liked to chew tobacco asked.

"I think for this. We'll need to bring in a ringer," Jack raised one eye brow

"You don't mean…" Chewy was nervous, this was a last-ditch resort that he'd hoped would never happen.

"Exactly" Jack nodded

BACK AT THE HOSPITAL

Jennifer was having a fitful sleep, she dreamt that she was running but she was also running, running from a strange face and when she tried to open her mouth to scream, nothing came out. When she tried to run even faster, all she could do was fall forward and when she tried to reach out for someone to help her, she was alone.

But suddenly, she heard Jonathan calling for her, "Darling, Darling, it's okay, I'm here," and she could feel herself getting up and searching for those familiar eyes, she could finally hear her own voice calling for him and it was that calling of her name that woke her.

"Oh Jonathan! I had the strangest dream!" She said out loud, and when she opened her eyes and realized she was still alone in her hospital bed.

Except she wasn't alone, there was someone else in the room with her, a figure in the corner holding a syringe.

"Who's there?" Jennifer called out, starting to panic

"Just relax, Mrs. Hart," a voice that sounded soothing came forward, the only thing Jennifer could make out was a pair of cold, green eyes reflecting in the pale moon light.

"Who are you?" Jennifer struggled to get up but something was holding her legs down, but she didn't understand, when Jonathan had left her hours earlier, her legs weren't restrained.

"Just…a Friend," the voice continued to walk across the hospital room, it wasn't very large but it still took almost a minute for whomever this person was.

"What do you want with me," Jennifer said pressing the call button with her thumb.

"You can press that button all you want, no one will be coming to help," the voice cackled and moved next to Jennifer's bed.

Jennifer opened her mouth and screamed louder than she had ever screamed before, the sound seemed to reverberate and bounce off each wall but the louder she screamed, no one rushed in to help her and the stranger sank a needle into her arm, sending her into darkness.

The Next Morning

Jonathan was worried, he'd been trying to reach Jennifer for hours and she never picked up, normally she could hear four towns over and want to answer it. But nothing, maybe she was having tests done and that's why.

Or at least that's what he was trying to tell himself.

He hustled his way through the hotel lobby and upstairs in the elevator where he walked to Jennifer's room, holding two cups of Starbucks as promised but he saw through the glass window, she wasn't in her bed, he dropped the Starbucks on the floor and rushed to the nurses' station.

"Jennifer Hart, where is she?" He demanded to know

"I'm sorry, who?" the Nurse, looking bored behind the desk asked,

"Jennifer Edwards Hart," Jonathan tried not to yell

"She should be in her room, Room 216," the Nurse said typing on her computer.

"She's not there,"

"Carole, Did Jennifer Dart go for her MRI?" The Nurse asked another nurse

"Not Dart! H-A-R-T" Jonathan's patience was growing thin.

"No, she's supposed to be in her room, did you check the bathroom," The other nurse asked, standing up.

Jonathan lost his patience and walking around the nurse's station, grabbed the nurse by her arm and dragged her to Jennifer's room.

"Mr. Dart, this is unnecessary and I'm going to have Security arrest you!" The nurse protested as Jonathan dragged her.

They got to Jennifer's room and Jonathan opened the door, shoving her forward, "Where is my wife?"

The room was a disaster, the bed was messed up and it looked like the IV in Jennifer's arm had been ripped out, there was blood on the floor and it looked like a discarded hospital gown on the floor except Jennifer's clothes were still in the closet.

"I'm going to ask this one more time, where is my wife?" Jonathan said through gritted teeth.


	3. Chapter 3

Jennifer's head was pounding, she hadn't felt this bad since last New Year's Eve when She, Max and Jonathan had decided to go shot for shot with the Saudi Prince and she drank all three of them under the table.

She had never been so sick the next few morning and she barely got out of bed, Poor Jonathan, every time he tried to kiss her, she'd gag and throw up in the waste basket.

Her mouth felt like cotton and when she opened her eyes slowly, It wasn't the bedroom she'd carefully decorated and make into a cozy space that she could share with her husband, this was a well decorated prison cell, she was laying on a firm mattress with ruffled sheets, sheets that she wouldn't buy unless she was Martha Stewart and even then, the walls were decorated in flowered wallpaper to match the sheets and there was a pottery barn night table to her side, Jennifer didn't seem to be tied up but the pain in her leg from the cast prevented her from moving.

Moving her head slowly, she heard fabric ruffling and remembering that the last thing she'd been wearing was a hospital gown but when she looked down, she was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and a skirt, both in her favorite colors of greenish blue but if she was unconscious, who dressed her?

The Questions were coming at a rapid pace but Jennifer's head was pounding and she just wanted to go back to Willow Pond.

Suddenly, a male voice coughed and Jennifer struggled to get up, "Please, don't get up on my account," the Voice said

"Who are you?" Fear was in Jennifer's voice but she wouldn't show it.

"Forgive my ignorance, I am Hiram Lodge, Mrs. Hart," the man opened the door that separated himself from Jennifer and stood beside her.

Jennifer sucked in her breath, she didn't want this stranger anywhere near her and she knew that she could be sexually assaulted.

"Relax, Mrs. Hart, I won't harm you if you cooperate," Hiram touched her hair and she flinched, "I promise in time you'll learn to appreciate me,"

"Not a chance in hell," She spit out and jerking her head away, "What do you want me for?"

"Oh, Mrs. Hart, you'll find out in time, in the meanwhile get comfortable, you'll be here for a while," He patted her again before leaving.

"No, I won't," She whispered, "I know my Jonathan will find me," That was the only thing keeping her from breaking down.

DAYS LATER

Hope was fading for Jennifer, although she'd been given food, she'd gone on a hunger strike and considering she only weighed 120lbs and as much as she knew it wasn't her best idea, it was the only one she could think of, she would get up and wonder around her glass cell to get exercise but she mainly sat and thought of ways to escape, she'd tried everything from throwing a lamp against the glass to kicking the glass with her good foot but all it was crush her good toe and she was afraid of breaking the remain good limbs she had.

She had to admit, the man whomever he was, was adamant she received good care, a doctor came to check her leg and was concerned about her not eating but she also refused to speak whenever they came to speak with her.

Every night, she would hold out hope Jonathan would crawl through her window and rescue her.

HART HOUSE:

Jonathan was having a restless night, he hadn't slept since Jennifer had been kidnapped and he was going through in his mind everything that could have possibly gone wrong. He'd hired along with the Police Department a private investigative team that both concluded, that because there were no cameras outside of Jennifer's room, there was no way to determine who'd taken her except for a possible witness, an elderly woman who'd been occupying the room across from Jennifer and saw two people go IN but fell asleep before she could see three people come out.

Even Jennifer's totaled car had no clues as to whom had hit her, the intersection where the accident had happened erased their video tape every 12 hours and by the time the Police had gone to retrieve the tapes, they'd already been erased, the only clue was a partial license plate from a restaurant across the street.

But because the make and the model of the car was one of thousands in the greater Los Angeles area, it was impossible to trace.

Jonathan, for the first time in his life felt completely helpless, he had all this money at his disposal and none of it mattered, he had hit the wall and it could cost Jennifer her life. He laid in their King-Sized Bed and stared at the ceiling, he could feel the minutes ticking and sighing, he pulled her pillow to his face and inhaled that familiar scent of Chanel and Orchids she often wore to bed because she knew it drove him and he loved nothing more than kissing her neck and making her crazy.

Except when he put his face to her pillow, his nose felt something hard, curiously he pulled his face back and using his hand felt the top of her pillow, it seemed flat but it was, figuring she'd absentmindedly stuck a book she'd been reading in the pillow or that maybe it had gotten tangled in the pillow case when Max made the beds.

Jonathan stuck his hand inside the pillow case and pulled out her Journal, he knew she'd kept a diary but figured she kept it on the bookshelf with the rest of her books, and it wasn't his place to snoop.

Except in this case, it might be the clue he needed to find her, that maybe she'd written down something she hadn't wanted him to know.

He flipped through the pages quickly, most of them were written unlike her, like a teenage girl would write about her boyfriend,

"October 15th

"Jonathan left for New York, I had to stay behind to finish an article but I wanted desperately to go along with him, there's a hollow feeling I have when he lives and I don't like that feeling, maybe if I hurry and finish this article, I can surprise him in New York"

"October 20th

"Jonathan came back from New York, and he sent Max to Vegas for a couple of days, we went crazy all over the house, we even made love in the gazebo and fell asleep, thank god we brought the blanket because the Gardeners came extra early and caught us, I was so embarrassed but Jonathan just laughed. Nothing could have been more perfect than waking up in his arms, but I'm also worried that our perfect bubble could burst. It's a feeling in the pit of my stomach I can't shake.

Later that Day.

The Bubble I mentioned earlier, burst. I got an envelope in the mail warning me to shut up about the story I'm researching, that the Government is misappropriating funds and it's costing people their life savings, I need to expose these people but how? Copious research isn't helping and I have a feeling if I dig any deeper, someone could be hurt. I have a meeting set up with "S" set for tomorrow at noon to get documents that are classified, I know I should ask Jonathan to come along but I don't want to risk him getting hurt. … Maybe after he comes home from work and he's relaxed, I'll tell him… or Maybe I'll tell him after we've made love. I don't know why I'm so afraid to tell him, he's my husband!"

October 23rd.

S called and said that he was positive he was being followed, that there was a suspicious car that followed him and he wasn't sure he could continue to be my source, I need him! If he backs out, this article is going to go south and I'll never finish this article, millions of lives are depending on me and I can't let them down, right now I've got a majority of the article written on my computer but I need S to finish it. I've left dozens of messages and he hasn't responded, I'm nervous that he's gone into hiding but the threat is still there. This morning I was by the pool, I had Freeway with me and I think he sensed a threat, he nudged me to keep walk, in fact he was so adamant about protecting me, he accidentally pushed me into the pool. If I wasn't sure he was protecting, I would have been mad but then again, it was nice to go swimming, just not in a 300 Karl Lagerfeld Sweater.

When I pulled myself out of the pool, Freeway was running toward the back gate and growling at a passing van, I didn't get a license plate but I wish I had, so Jonathan could trace it."

October 25th

"I tried to tell Jonathan about the threats this morning but he was gone before I woke up, I found a rose on his pillow and a note that well, I'll paste in here but it made me blush and forget everything. I suppose I'll wait until he comes home, I'll have Max make a special dinner and when he's relaxed, I'll tell him everything.

Or maybe I'll tell him when we're lying in bed. Why am I so afraid? This isn't like me in the slightest. But I guess the idea of being hurt or if something to happen to me, I'm more afraid for Jonathan and Max.

I should get ready for lunch, I have a meeting with my editor, Annie belle this afternoon and I should get ready. "

That was the last entry but it didn't bring Jonathan any closer to finding Jennifer, maybe her computer would provide some insight.

Jonathan knew she often put her laptop away, with so many break-ins, Jennifer was afraid that someone could steal her computer, as an established author, the last thing you want is someone stealing your ideas so she kept her computer in a hiding spot that not even Jonathan or Max knew off.

But he had an idea, he'd start with her favorite part of the house, her closet.

When they'd been house shopping, she was adamant she has a large closet because, as she put it, "If I must move my life from New York to Here, I want a closet big enough to hold all my clothes," and he did, he had built for her a closet that was so big, he was sure if they were ever invaded, they could hide out in it and never be found.

Jonathan combed through her clothes, expensive outfits and dresses that he didn't even know she had and couldn't find anything, he even tried her shoe rack that was like a rotating spit and the wraps organized by color. The closet seemed to go back for miles and he was getting tired and frustrated.

He stood beside her dress closet, and in frustration, he hit the side of the closet causing a shoe box to hit his head except this shoe box was much heavier and it felt like he was hit with a brick, he leaned over and picked up a box marked "Chanel"

Opening it and underneath a pair of strappy heels, He found her laptop underneath and sat on the floor, quickly powering it up, it asked for a password.

For nearly a half hour, he tried to remember every password she might use but he reached a dead end, he event tried to reset her password but it required two more passwords, he felt stupid that he'd taught her how to keep her guard up even with her personal items.

"Whatever you are hiding, Jennifer, it must be the equivalent of a military secret," He mumbled and tried another word.

Luckily for him, her computer was equipped enough to give him a few more tries before locking him completely out.

Jonathan looked around the room for some sort of clue and realized he was staring at a picture of them that he hadn't seen before, one of them kissing on the Tower Bridge in London after he'd proposed when he'd been forced to get her arrested.

London wasn't it, Darling either but Maybe Tower Bridge was, first he tried it as two separate words then tried them together, when he did, it was like unlocking the secrets to the Bat-cave.

Searching through her files quickly, he couldn't find the article, her files were careful labeled but this one he couldn't find and his fear was growing, Frustrated, he pushed the computer aside and stood up, "Damn it, Jennifer," when an Instant Message popped up, the message read:

"Meet me at the Six Street Viaduct," the message said, "In two hours, come alone,"

Jonathan sized up the situation and quickly typed back, "Yes," He closed her laptop down and immediately began getting dressed.

JENNIFER

Jennifer was exhausted, her face was chapped from crying and her stomach was in knots, something had to give and it was going to be here, she didn't understand why she'd been taken or did she care, she just wanted to be gone.

Whether it be through death or somehow Jonathan rescuing her.

Suddenly the door slammed open and she jumped, worried it was Hiram but it was a new person, this time a female, Jennifer hoped that maybe she would have some compassion.

"Mrs. Hart!" the voice was sharp, sharp enough to make Jennifer jump, "We need to fix you up, we'll be having guests shortly and we don't want to make a bad impression do we,"

"What do you mean, guests?" Jennifer said quietly.

"You'll see, in the meantime, let's get your hair and makeup fixed, I'm sure this is a far cry from your usual attire but we can fix that," the woman, with dark blonde hair and bright green eyes walked across the room, she pulled out a brush and on instinct, Jennifer flinched, afraid that whomever this woman is, would harm her.

"Mrs. Hart, we don't intend to hurt you if you don't cooperate," the Woman began brushing Jennifer's hair.

"Please, as a woman to a woman, you've got to let me out of here, please," Jennifer begged.

"I'm sorry, I can't," there was no expression on her face, nothing that showed a hint of compassion or empathy, Jennifer wondered briefly if she'd been in Jennifer's place before but there was no time to think.

"What is your name," Jennifer asked, figuring maybe she could connect with this person, she'd always managed to find something that bonded to past people who'd been after her and Jonathan.

"You may call me, Miss Brooks," The woman answered just as the door was flung open again and this time, Hiram Lodge entered.

"Are we almost ready," He asked breathlessly, he was of medium height and detecting a slight accent, Jennifer guessed he was Latino.

"In a few minutes," Miss Brooks said finishing up with Jennifer's hair, Jennifer hated when people other than paid professionals messed with her hair and she could only cringe at the idea of someone denting her hair.

"Well, our guest has arrived and is eager to meet with Mrs. Hart," Hiram was practically giddy and Jennifer could feel the anger behind her bones.

"Well, I suppose we could make due for the moment," Miss Brooks said stepping back as another guest walked through the door, Jennifer was beginning to feel like an animal at the house.

"Hello, Jennifer," a voice from Jennifer's past, that she'd hoped never to hear again and one of the few people in the world who could make her skin crawl.

"Elliot!" She gasped before her entire world went black.


End file.
